Product Description

Originally written to entertain, move or chill, the eight short stories in this collection accompanied by parallel English translations now also help students gain deeper insights into French literature and life. Arranged in approximate order of difficulty, the range of stories is wide, from the stylized wit of Raymond Queneau to the beautifully written ambiguities of Philippe Sollers, from Pierre Gascar’s exploration of childhood as a background to a tale of infidelity to Henri Thomas’s gentle, ironic look at war. All make wonderful reads in either language.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14015 in Books
• Published on: 1973-07-26
• Original language: French, English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

Worth it...
Worth it for the short story, "The Seven League Boots" by Marcel Ayme which I have been saving up to read, in the English, to my kids for years now.

The rest are ok, with the exception of Robbe-Grillet's "The Beach" which is outstanding.

As a language learning tool it works well, but the selection is self consciously "arty". (I have an ancient Bantam "dual langauge" with old French classics and the stories are riveting even if the langauge is a bit archaic.)

Great for A Level French
I'm in my first year of A Level French and found this incredibly helpful. The first story, the Beach is simple to read but wonderfully written. I'd recommend to start with that, even if you are buying the book particularly for another short story as it eases you in well. Obviously, the translations can be neither literally accurate, nor as beautifully written but I found the balance good - if I did not understand a bit the English could give me the general idea from which I could pick apart the French to improve my vocabulary.

A must if you want to improve your French reading skills!